Travelling long-haul? Here are my best tips to make your flight more comfortable

Whether you travel for work or for pleasure, long haul travel can be a bit of a mission.
I’ve travelled from New Zealand to Europe dozens of times. From Queenstown, this takes between 31 and 41 hours. As I am a fussy traveller, over the years I’ve managed to make it into a more pleasant experience. This means a more comfortable flight and arriving (relatively) fresh at the destination.

Here are my best tips:

• Travel bag: I usually have a small travel case on wheels, and a large handbag. The moment I get on the plane, I unload everything I need from my little suitcase and put it in the seat pocket and in my large handbag. If I’m lucky to get a bulk head seat, I use my case as a footrest.
• Avoid picking up a cold on the plane. I’m someone that’s lucky to never get sick or a cold… except when I fly long haul. A few years ago however, I discovered Blis Travel Protect. You take these probiotics (lozenges) the day before travel and during travel. Every time I’ve taken them, I don’t pick up any colds or bugs, the odd time I forget, I do get sick. Blis is available at pharmacies.
• Saline Nasal Spray. As there are many airborne bacteria on the plane, regularly using a nasal spray will protect you. I swear by Fess Saline Spray Frequent Flyer. It contains Tea Tree Oil (a natural antisceptic) and vitamin E. Fess is available at pharmacies and I’ve also seen it at airports (though they charge a lot more for it there).
• Hand Sanitizer. One of the things that I cringe about on planes (and any public place for that matter) are the germs lurking around everywhere. I always carry a mini bottle with hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes. When I sit down in my seat, I wipe all the services I’m going to touch during the flight with the wipes (screen, fold down table, armrests etc).
• Wear pressure socks (flight socks). These prevent your feet from swelling and help circulation.
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• Bring an eye mask & ear plugs.
• Bring your own pillow – the small pillows they give you in economy are not very comfortable. I personally don’t like the neck ones, I just bring one that’s not too big, but provides much more support.
• Take a sleeping pill. I never used to do this, but in the last few years, I’ve started taking a sleeping pill just before ‘night time’. Highly recommended if you’re a bad sleeper like me as you’ll actually get some sleep.
• Drink LOTS of water (and little or no alcohol) and I’ve found “1 Above” https://be1above.com/ an effective way to stay hydrated and it really helps with jet-lag.  You can buy this product at Auckland Airport. Alternatively, an electrolyte supplement that sports people use, will also do the trick. Have a small water bottle that can be filled up so you always have water in your seat pocket. 
• Move and stretch as often as you can – at least every hour when you’re not sleeping. Try to get a bulkhead seat if you can, so you can stretch out more and can get up easily. Otherwise, get an isle seat so you can get up easily.
• Noise cancelling headphones. One of the best investments I’ve made in recent years, are my (Bose) noise cancelling headphones. The comfort of wearing these, as well as the amazing sound quality enhance the flying experience significantly. I have the ear bud ones as I wear them throughout the flight and you can lean sideways to sleep.
• Have a foot massage in transit! One of my favourite things is to have a reflexology foot massage, which relaxes and stimulates circulation. Shangi airport (Singapore) is probably the best transit airport in the world.
• Long transit? If you have a transit period of over 6 or 8 hours, many airport offer transit hotels or lounges where you can stay for 6 hours or more. Well worth it as you’ll feel much more rested for the rest of your flight, and you can have a shower there too! I also buy freshly squeezed juice at the transit airport to replenish vitamins a bit.
• Dealing with Jetlag
  Ok, no matter what you try, if there is a time difference, you’ll probably suffer from jetlag one way or another. I find taking melatonin (the hormone that tells your brain it’s time to sleep) helps me get over my jetlag quicker. Don’t be tempted to sleep during the day, get into the local time routine straight away. Drink lots of water, go for walks for exercise and daylight and eat healthy. 
• Entertainment: for either on the flight or when I’m in transit, I always have a few books or magazines uploaded on my i-pad. The other thing I do, is download a few movies or series from Netflix. I do watch lots of movies on the plane, but sometimes you want to watch or read somethings else. 
  The other thing I do, is check the movies that are screening on the flights for that month. I check whether they have good reviews, so I don't waste my time watching bad movies. (I know this may go a bit far for some people).
  
• Snacks. I always bring some of my own snacks such as nuts and fruit. If you return to NZ, don’t forget to dispose of the fruit!
• Meals. Sometimes, I request a diet meal (such as seafood). If you do this, you get your meal before anyone else.

I hope these tips will make your next long-haul flight more comfortable!
If you have any more tips, share them in the comments box below!

Cheers, Marijke